Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-05-26

Harpers War Volumes.
tersonville the bayou was INSTRUCTED by
torpedoes, a sunken steamboat and an
earthwork, Fort Bisland; just above was
the Confederate gunboat j. A. Cotton.
A sharp fight ensued in which Comma
dore Buchanan lost his life-a ball from
Confederate sharpshooter having passed
through his head. But the infantry got in
the rear of the Confederate works and
these were soon abandoned. The following
night the Confederate gunboat Cotton was
deserted and set on fire. With this success
the expedition of General Weitzel returned
TO BraShear City.
About April 10, 1863, another expedition
was sent up Bayou Teche.
General Richard Taylor "a son OF Presi-
dent Zachariah Taylor was in command
OF the Confederate forces
He made a stand at Fort Bisland. but
General Emory engaged his attention in
front while General Grover was striving
to get in his rear.
The Federals failed IN capturing the
Confederates, but caused them to abandon
the Teche country so hastily that they
were compelled to set fire TO several trans
ports laden with stores at New lbenia on
Bayou Teche, also to an unfinished gun
boat. April CO. General Banks entered
Opeousas and General Taylor retreated
beyond Vermillion Bayou. Later General
Banks occupied Alexandra and from there
advanced to Port Hudson, which place he
invested about May "a, 1863, and six weeks
afterwards, captured.
The writer's regiment, having reached
Algiers opposite New Orleans by steam
boat, debarked October 4, 1861 and took
the cars for Brashear City on the New Or
leans, Opelousas Il Western railroad.
The train was made up of open fiat cars,
and when in motion over rough roadway
much care had to be exercised, lest some
of the men would fall overheard
The start was made early in the morn
ing. The country traversed was covered
with interminable swamps, bayous, la
goons and sluggish creeks. 1t was heavily
timbered, and for most of the way seemed
one vast wilderness BraShear City was
reached at night and next day the com
mand started up Bayou Teche. The coun-
try now seen was attractive and many de-
lightful houses were passed. The houses
half hidden in trees, had wide porches and
large windows
At this time oranges were ripening and
the many orchards passed were bending
under the weight Of this delicious fruit.
Nearly all the fences were made of cy
press. This wood was split thin board
like pieces and at convenient distances
were posts of the same material with NOR
tices for the reception of the horizontal
pieces In this way a neat fence was made
but it must have taken a great deal of time
and involved much labor.
When the division was halted at night or
for dinner every man seized one or more
pieces Of this fence and in n little time il
made many fires that heated multitude OF
coffee pots and toasted innumcrable slices
OF salt pork.
Nearly every man carried an old tin can,
one in which there had been fruit or
oysters, and with piece of wire he had
made for it a bail. As soon as a fire was
made, this can filled with water was
placed upon it, When the water came to a
boil, ground coffee in which form this
article was always supplied, was added.
Meantime a thin slice of bacon or salt pork
was toasted upon the end of a stick and the
fat that exuded while cooking was allowed
TO drip upon the hard cracker-"hGrd tack,
this served in lieu of gravy or butter.
While upon the march coffee, made as de-
'scribed above, seemed delicious, and the fat
meat and hard cracker were eaten with a
relish that now seem almost inexplicable.
Good appetitcs and sweet sleep, however,
are two good angels that never desert
soldier on the march.
The region was very level and the land
wonderfully fertile, the soil being a deep,
rich black loan. The cypress fences de-
scribed above inclosed vast sugar planta-
tons. Along the bayou, at no great dis.
lance apart, were great sugar mills
Many OF these were built of brick, and
with their costly fixtures and extensive
apparatus and machinery must each have
involved an outlay of hundreds of thou
sands of dollars. But being built on the
banks OF the bayou, the sugar made was
conveyed to market with the least possible
expense The bayou was narrow in many
places, too narrow for a boat to turn
around, and as there were no hills next to
IT on either side, it seemed much like
great ditch.
AT one time, on the march, the road led
through light growth of timber and re-
coded quite a distance from Bayou Teche